United Kingdom: education on credit

The UK is undergoing austerity measures unprecedented since the Thatcher years. Among them is a rise in university fees, which can cost up to €10,000 per year. Students and academics are calling it an unfair policy which favours the rich. FRANCE 24 went to meet the young people affected by an economic crisis that is not of their making.

In England, recent weeks have seen students out on the streets voicing their anger at the rising price of higher education. David Cameron's coalition government is aiming to save 92 billion euros in the coming years and says a hike in tuition fees is an unavoidable part of the cuts.

For university-goers, the cost of some courses is set to treble in 2012, reaching up to 10,000 euros a year. Students will have to take out bigger loans and graduates entering an increasingly competitive job market will start their working life with huge debts. Critics of the government's policy say it’s those from poorer backgrounds who'll suffer the most.